Naughty Or Nice
by damoisella
Summary: During the annual Christmas season, Susie decides which one of


Disclaimer: The following characters have nothing to do, let alone belong, to me. I've written a letter to Santa about it, but so far, no luck. ;)

Author's Notes: Strangely inspired by all the Christmas-ness going around like a bug, I decided to attempt a sequel to 'After The Mistletoe', which was originally meant to be a story on its own (and consequently sequel-less). What can I say... My mind obviously had other ideas! Now that I've caught the Christmas bug spectacularly early, expect some more Christmassy fic from me... maybe... :) Fa la la la laaa, la la la la!

Summary: During the annual Christmas season, Susie decides which one of Santa's lists Evan belongs to. Sequel to 'After The Mistletoe'

---

**Naughty or Nice**

The station was buzzing; both with the usual business, only heightened by the time of year, and the anticipation of the approaching Christmas. Everyone seemed to be in a better-than-usual mood – bar Tom, who seemed as though he was picking up the pieces of his life again, yet subdued at the same time, and PJ who was still somewhat concerned for his long-time colleague and superior. However, the rest of the station made up for it: Kelly was a bundle of youthful enthusiasm, Joss continuing to be the centre of the Mount Thomas police station ridicule, and Evan, Amy and Susie all seemingly content. Even Mark was more relaxed – a point that the constables of the station seemed to be taking advantage of.

"- and then we open the presents, and my uncle lights the pudding and we all sing carols," Kelly explained, upon being questioned by Joss as of what her family did for the annual celebration.

"Yeah, I can really see you going for the 'Jingle Bell Rock'," Joss smirked in return, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms.

"Oh, so what about you and your Italian Christmas, then?" Kelly retorted, slightly injured.

"Nothing too exciting," he mumbled awkwardly, and was saved by the ringing phone at his desk. Kelly chuckled to herself with obvious satisfaction.

"Everyone, the roster for next week is finally sorted," Mark announced once Joss had finished with the call.

Kelly snapped her head up. "And?"

"I know no one wants to work on Christmas Eve or Day," Mark began, deep down wishing he wasn't the one to have these sort of responsibilities, "so we have to compromise. I've decided to schedule each of you on for small amounts of time only, so you have a majority of the time free." He handed the roster to Susie, who was sitting nearest.

"Looks like I'm on with you, Joss," she said, quickly skimming her eyes over it.

"Sure," the dark-haired constable replied, nodding in agreement. He hadn't shown an interest in her for quite a while now, Susie mused, and so she didn't really mind the arrangements. It could be better, but as Mark had said, it was a time for compromise.

Evan leaned across and looked over at the paper. "You're on the afternoon," he observed.

"Yeah, so?" Susie looked at him, unconcerned.

"Just making sure you had time to – er, celebrate the occasion," he said lightly. She suddenly remembered what arrangements they had agreed on, only days ago in the pub.

"Right," she nodded, understanding. "Nah, should have plenty of time."

"Good," he said, swiftly taking the roster from her hands and passing it on to Kelly.

"How many crimes are needed to be solved on Christmas Day, anyway?" Joss grumbled loudly.

"You'd be surprised," Mark replied dryly.

"Yeah, cases of missing presents and stolen stars off the top of trees," Evan put in, seemingly serious.

Joss was naively sceptical. "Fair dinkum?"

"Well, you'll soon find out, won't ya?" Evan answered with a smirk.

The younger officer didn't quite know what to make of that, and so turned away, attempting to hide his curious uncertainty, but not really succeeding.

---

THREE DAYS LATER...

"This is a waste of time, why are we even here?" Joss asked, throwing his pen down as he stretched his arms behind his head.

"All part of the job," Susie replied swiftly, seemingly unperturbed at working.

"The sarge is probably at home having a great time, while we're stuck here," the constable continued.

"Live with it, Joss," Susie said severely. "It's only for another hour, anyway. Think about it: if you get all your paperwork done now, you won't have anything pending after Christmas is over."

"You sound like my mother," he accused.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"So, what are your plans, anyway?" he asked, changing the subject.

She shrugged. "Just staying here."

"Aren't your family in Melbourne?"

"I've decided I'm giving them a miss this year," Susie replied, then narrowed her eyes. "What's it to you?"

"I'm just making conversation," Joss raised his hands innocently.

"Right," she said, still somewhat wary and apprehensive.

The hour passed in silence; Susie's pile of waiting paperwork decreasing in size, Joss' much less so. However, both were relieved when the time came to sign off.

"Well, have a good one," Susie said diplomatically as they trekked outside to separate their respective ways.

"Yeah, you too – I'll see you on Monday," Joss replied, heading off to where his red BMW was parked by the roadside.

Susie opted to walk to the Imperial, thankful for the opportunity to stretch her legs and have a bit of much-desired fresh air. The streets seemed to reflect the festive atmosphere – or was that just her? Nevertheless, she felt wonderfully relaxed as she passed the houses towards the pub.

Upon arriving, she briefly waved to Sam, who was retacking the tinsel to a doorway. She and Evan had done their best to fix it a couple of days earlier, by Chris' request, yet they obviously hadn't done a good enough job. Either that, or the tinsel was incredibly stubborn. She hoped it was the latter, for their credibility's sake. She paused, and scanned the ceiling and doorways of the pub. There were three clusters of mistletoe – she would have to be careful to avoid those. Why, she wasn't entirely sure, but she didn't want to give Evan any more excuses. Tonight was supposed to be a fun one, not one of awkwardness like she was afraid of.

Climbing up the staircase two at a time, she reached the top landing and fished her keys from her pocket, proceeding to unlock her door. Closing it firmly behind her, she checked the time. Forty five minutes, that was fine, she decided. Now, just to work out what to wear...

---

"Hey," Susie greeted breathlessly, collapsing into the chair at the bistro table, doing her best to maintain her composure. "Sorry, there was heaps to do at the station." Truth be told, getting ready just took longer than she had anticipated, but she wasn't about to say it out loud.

"No worries," Evan replied. She wasn't really late, and he had been early himself. He had watched Sam pack away the pins and tape, only to dutifully observe the tinsel droop once more within minutes. It seemed as though he and Susie weren't the only ones who couldn't seem to handle the ever-wilful tinsel. "You look great," he added, but he meant it whole-heartedly.

Susie was flattered, but ducked her head modestly. "Thanks. You do too."

"Yeah, ta," he replied, pleased but careful not to show it. "Ah – food?"

"You're speaking my language," she said with a laugh.

---

"- I just told her that I wasn't going to be able to make it this year," Susie said as she took a sip from her wineglass.

"And she was okay with it?"

"It was fine – really," she added upon seeing Evan's uncertain face. "Mum was cool about it. Said she couldn't expect me home every year."

"Alright then," he replied somewhat apprehensively, obviously still not settled. Whether or not he ever met Susie's family, he didn't want to spoil his persona whilst still in Mount Thomas.

"And your father?" she asked, turning the focus around onto him.

"Nah, it didn't bother him. Now that it's just the two of us, he was probably relieved I made the excuse so he wouldn't have to."

"Don't say that," she said quietly, with a profound look at him across the table.

"Why? It's true."

Susie shook her head slightly. "Alright, but don't brush him off. The commander will want you there sometimes."

He nodded, now rather subdued. She laughed. "Oh, come on, don't let it bother you – it's Christmas!" she reminded him, and her joviality seemed infectious.

"Yeah, you're right," he relented. "Oh, I almost forgot," he added, reaching down to the floor. "Got you these."

Susie gave him a chary look. "I thought we agreed no presents."

"Yeah, well..." he shrugged, and held out the flat box. "Go on."

Her face broke out into a smile at the sight of her favourite type of chocolates. "Hmm, I don't know whether to be annoyed at you or not," she pondered aloud. "But you know I'm a sucker for these. Thanks." She smiled at him, holding his gaze.

"How much longer are you two going to be?" Chris interrupted, as she approached the table. The spell between them shattered.

Susie looked up at the publican. "Probably not too long, why?"

"Because I've got a room full of people who want to eat at tables," Chris replied dryly.

"Oh, right." The two constables exchanged a glance, and upon nodding in agreement, they stood from the table.

"I didn't mean you have to go right now," Chris injected, half-exasperatingly.

"Nah, we were finished anyway," Evan replied, waving a dismissive hand. "Thanks, Chris."

"Yeah, have a merry Christmas, Chrissy," Susie added with a smile, pushing her chair in.

"You too, Suse," the publican said with a grin, and they left before they had be hustled out.

"So," Susie began as they stopped outside the main pub, at the staircase. The noise from inside was dimmed somewhat, but it was also cooler as well.

"Must have a word with Chris on Monday for kicking us out," Evan replied with a mock-gruff tone. His face suddenly erupted into a wide smile. Noticing this, she stopped.

"What?" She followed his gaze up to the doorway above, where a piece of incriminating mistletoe was tacked up. "Oh, no..." She caught his eye. "You had this rigged, didn't you? You did! Oh, I knew you would do something like this...!"

"Actually, I only just saw it," he said matter-of-factly, but his smug, innocent-looking grin only grew. She was torn between being infuriated, or to laugh. The latter got the better of her, and she smiled despite herself.

"I don't believe you."

"You don't?" He looked injured.

"Nope." Then she leaned forwards and kissed him quickly before he had the chance to respond. A moment later, she broke off. "Right, now that's sorted," she said, straightening and squaring her shoulders resolutely.

He opened his mouth, yet he didn't have the faintest idea of what to say. Something funny, something sarcastic? It wasn't often that he was struggling for something to say – on the contrary, it was usually hard to keep him quiet.

She chuckled, watching him. "Impersonating a goldfish, Jonesy?"

"No, I..." he shook his head, trying to put some sense back into it. "Er, do you wanna go out somewhere now?"

"No, I better not," she replied, still looking as though she was on the verge of laughing at him, but letting it pass her by.

"Why not? It's still pretty early," he said, now recovered and looking decidedly wounded.

"I think it's just a better idea if I don't," she explained lightly.

He paused. "Okay," he answered eventually, down-hearted.

"No, it's just -"

"It's fine," he insisted, looking sincere.

"Alright." She seemed unsure of whether to keep her word and leave, or give in to the temptation to stay. Finally, however, she gave a crooked smile. "I better go. Merry Christmas, Jonesy." She began to back away, towards the foot of the staircase leading up to their respective rooms.

Impulsively, he caught her arm, forcing her to stop. She frowned, confused. "Wha -" she began, when he silenced her with his kiss. True, it worked rather well, and she didn't seem to protest. On the contrary, she loved the magic that had been strung between them, and the feeling of his lips on hers. It was different to their kiss at the Christmas party, now seeming like months ago rather than mere days. With the kids and most of the station there, it seemed like something fun, spontaneous, and could be deemed meaningless if they wanted it to. Even the quick kiss she had given him before was just that: quick. This time it was deliberate, it was freshly passionate... and Susie felt weak at the knees. His arms found their way down to her waist, pulling her closer to him than she had ever been.

Eventually she broke off. "I really should go," she repeated with a small, enigmatic smile as she freed herself from his arms.

"Suse..." Evan groaned protestingly.

"I'm gonna go," she said, leaving no room for compromise. Another long look at him, and she grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him momentarily once more, before pulling away and heading towards the stairs. "I'll seeya around," she added, walking up each step slowly, as if stringing out her torturous departure.

His face was torn between being pleased and frustrated. He settled on exhaling a breath in a sigh, a small smile creeping up onto his face. He shook his head disbelievingly, the smile still there. "You -" he stopped, seemingly lost for words. What could he say that could possibly sum up what had just happened, or what he was feeling?

She breathed a sigh of relief to see he wasn't angry; frustrated, perhaps, but that was almost part of the fun.

"Yeah, I'll seeya," he echoed, watching her continue to climb up the stairs. She nodded, and disappeared from sight.

He stared at the spot where she had gone for minutes that were hard to keep a track of. Finally, he decided to retreat to his own room before he would look too idiotic.

Once upstairs, he turned the corner in the hallway, and froze. Susie stood there, leaning against his door. She smiled upon seeing him, but said nothing.

"I thought you said you were going to go," he remarked curiously, walking up to her.

"I forgot to give you your Christmas present," she answered innocently.

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"This." And again she kissed him, sweeter than before. Wondering what she was implying, he kissed her back, only to have her let go. "Hope you liked it, I didn't know what else to get you," she said impishly, beginning to retreat back towards her own door.

"No, wait, Suse," he began, but she didn't stop. "Why?" he asked before she could disappear again.

"Santa's Helper decided that Santa himself had been a good boy this year," she grinned from her doorway. "It was about time he was rewarded too."

"But -"

"Christmas wishes, Jonesy," she whispered cryptically, before raising her voice again. "Don't let the bed bugs bite." She gave him one more fleeting smile, before closing her door, and leaving him standing in the hallway alone.

Yep, he decided. If this was the sort of thing that happened during Christmas, he whole-heartedly thought it definitely should come more often than once a year.

Still, he added as he closed his own door behind him, perhaps he was good enough to get a New Year's present too...

the end


End file.
